Users in a growing Apple Support Discussions forum thread are expressing their concerns over what appears to be a hardware-related sound issue with Apple's 27-inch Cinema Displays. The main issue seems to be that sound will randomly cut out, ceasing to work until a system restart is applied.

Jerky video presentation with no or distorted sound is another symptom these users have noted, along with a delay when pressing the volume keys up or down to when the volume graphic is displayed onscreen.

Though a definitive solution does not appear to be available from Apple or users on the forums, some workarounds have provided at least temporary relief from this issue. Discussions user flipperfeet called Apple Support, which offered this solution:

Disconnect your display from your Mac.

Shut down your Mac and unplug the power to your display.

Let everything sit for a few minutes, reconnect the Cinema Display and restart your Mac.

This seems to be the only workaround that provides consistent (though temporary, in most cases) relief. Fully updated machines (Mac OS X 10.6.5) continue to exhibit the issue. Though the forum thread contains more than 200 replies about this topic, Apple may not be entirely aware of the situation. A post by user erikmh from November 30 reads:

I spoke with Apple customer service last week. The rep was very friendly, and was even willing to read over this discussion thread while I was on the phone with him. Neither he nor his supervisor had previously heard about the problem.

At this point it is worth remembering that though Apple provides the Support Discussions forums for Apple customers to connect and talk about issues relating to their products, they are not directly monitored by Apple. Thus, complaints of Apple not responding to growing issues on the forum boards are largely unjust. To contact Apple directly regarding issues, use the feedback form on Apple's site.

We will continue to monitor the situation regarding the 27-inch Cinema Display sound issues. In the meantime, have you experienced this issue? Do you have a fix that worked for you? Let us know in the comments!